A Solar-Powered Tent for the Power-Hungry Outdoor Nerd

Power up. Photo: Goal Zero

We go camping to get away from it all. Well, most of it — just because you’re in the bosom of the great outdoors doesn’t mean you need to leave technology back home.

Goal Zero has announced a partnership with Eddie Bauer to sell a solar-powered tent. Unless you’re paying far too much money to “unplug” at one of those trendy, feel-good Silicon Valley camping trips, having access to power can be essential while camping. Especially if you plan on listening to music, calling your loved ones, or taking photos of the splendor that is the wilderness.

Light camping. Photo: Goal Zero

The 36-square foot, 44-inch tall Eddie Bauer Katabatic 2 tent is Goal Zero solar panel ready. The wiring inside the tent is used to charge Goal Zero’s tiny Sherpa 50 battery pack or gigantic Yeti Solar Generator. The Yeti stores an insane 1250Wh of pure 110V sine-wave AC power. That’s enough to power small home appliances, or a couple of Fender Twin amplifiers and a small PA. Most campers will be fine with the Sherpa battery pack, which has a 50Wh battery and can keep all your precious electronics charged.

This isn’t a setup for the once-a-year camper. The current Katabatic tent will set you back $600, and the Sherpa 50 battery pack is $200. That’s $800 and you haven’t even factored in the yet-to-be-priced solar panel.

But it’s still a better deal than paying hundreds of dollars for someone to take your phone away from you for the weekend and make you do trust falls, icebreakers and vision boards. So if you’re a hard-core camper that demands a quality tent for you and two of your best friends with access to power, the Goal Zero solar panels should be ready Spring 2014.